Set in a USA home for physically and mentally challenged children and told using the alternating voices of seven people (three are disabled youngsters, three are employees , and one is a recruiter trying to keep the place full) this grim, but at times funny, emotionally engrossing read will definitely leave its mark.
This powerful and inspiring character-based debut was the 2012 winner of Barbara Kingsolver's PEN/Bellwether Prize for fiction 12 months before it was actually published!
Told in alternating perspectives by a varied and vocal cast of characters, Good Kings, Bad Kings pulls back the curtain to reveal the complicated, funny, and tough life inside the walls of ILLC - an institution for juveniles with disabilities. From Yessenia Lopez, who dreams of her next boyfriend, to Teddy, a resident who dresses up daily in a full suit and tie, and Mia, who guards a terrifying secret, Nussbaum has crafted a multifaceted portrait of a way of life hidden from most of us. In their alliances, the residents ultimately find the strength to bond together, resist their mistreatment, and fight back. Good Kings, Bad Kings is a powerful and inspiring debut about young people whose lives have been irreversibly changed by misfortune, but whose voices resound with resilience, courage, and humour.
'This is fiction at its best. The story's sharp eye allows no one to take shelter, and it doesn't flinch; it is simply and breathtakingly honest... A stunning accomplishment.' Barbara Kingsolver
Author
About Susan Nussbaum
Susan Nussbaum's plays have been widely produced. In 2008 she was cited by the Utne Reader as one of '50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World' for her work with girls with disabilities. Good Kings, Bad Kings is her first novel. She lives in Chicago, America.
